Ten grabbed Ir’s hand! “There are slavers waiting to snatch you! Theapet offered to help us with this.”

The young prince ran in. It shocked me to see him with jeans and a DS blue jacket. The bright blue wouldn’t attract attention since a lot of sports teams have that color. Our jeans were the same light blue denim color. Hoped his were softer! Zheien skin is delicate. “I am ready to go with you. We can use holos, so we stay on the ship in safety.

“Kia, how will your father react? Does he know of SETI?”

I laughed. “Daddy’s obsessed with antique cars! He has the largest car lot in Mexico City, so I don’t think he even watches news.” They all had blank looks, so I waved up several car sites and let ‘em read. Diplomats love to learn about new things. Ir helped me touch their minds through my Diplomatic Link so I could join in the convo without hurting anyone. The Diplomatic Link is a huge telepathic space that all diplomats join in. They can ask a question and get an answer from an expert, in secs. If they need help to pilot fast, translate a language, or research trades a planet needs, someone can do it for them, if they have time. A lot of diplomatic work is long, boring days of travel so the most common needs like piloting are easy to find an eager helper. Obscure languages and trades can be harder. Ir spent hours and hours explaining this stuff to me after he came back from his mission hurt. Ry’nao introduced me to him through it.

In the time I spent remembering how I used the Diplomatic Link in our future colony, they learned everything the Internet knew about antique cars. Ir learned it first, then helped Theapet with basic facts about Daddy’s car business. They’d done this a lot for missions they had together.

Theapet’s only 15? He just graduated from Sigan Mas in Diplomatics, and he did it in one year. Most diplomats take four, but Ir explained that First Princes have a lot of enemies, so Zheien do that. The First Prince Of Fhiah is orange, but his cheeks turned darker when he heard Ir explaining things. Now Ir got a bit orange in his cheeks, too.

I laughed. “First Prince Theapet, I guess you’re very good at evading slavers! I’m glad you’re going with us to get my father and stepmother.”

He didn’t smile. Pulled at his dark curls, bright blue eyes wide. “O, I shall try to protect them, but slavers watch them. Please, Ms. Garfield, speak quickly!”

That made me nervous. I called Daddy’s number. He didn’t pick up.

Our holos ported to Mexico City. The map showed this street as Bulgaria. What? It had a lot of car parts dealers. A tiny lot between a battery place and a car parts place had Garfield Vintage Cars with daddy’s Garfield car logo that he drew. He’s not much of an artist, but he can make any old clunker run.

We walked between a mix of 1920’s Model T’s to sports cars from the 70s on the lot. I wouldn’t know a valuable antique car from a junker, so I paid more attention to the crowd at the door. This felt like I was really, physically there.

Theapet and Ir talked to people in a steady stream of fluent Spanish. It sounded pretty, but I couldn’t speak anything but English. I’d never been down here. Every time Daddy offered me a trip down, my stepmother, who is Hispanic and barely speaks English, had an urgent need for the money from one of her relatives and Daddy would let me know he had to postpone the trip. Well, relatives do come first. They seemed to really love each other on video calls.

That office was locked. This time of day is hot, even in January.

Ir got my attention. “They say he didn’t come in today. Maybe he is at home. Should we go there? Theapet has a car for us.” I looked where he pointed and a purple limo had a crowd around it.

“Let’s go!” We got in and the drivers handed out snacks until the crowd left. Then we pulled out into the most horrific traffic I ever saw! But, we ported and left the Thordes drivers to deal with it.

We appeared inside an abandoned building not far from my parents’ home. Came out on a side street. That limo waited, so we went over a few streets.

Daddy’s house was a bright orange one-story home in a row with each one a diff color. He and my stepmother were loading bags into the open trunk of his 70s sports car that was that awful greenish-gold color. I didn’t like this car because of the black, hard seats. The back seat got uncomfortable on long trips. Mama hated it except for driving it on curvy roads up near Whitepoint in the Georgia mountains. Then, she got cancer and I lived with them taking care of her until I won that scholarship. Mama insisted that I go to Atlanta with my five roomies and live my dream. Daddy got her a live-in care aide, and now Camila is my stepmother.

Daddy looked older these days. His silver hair still had a good bit of black in it, and he looked good in his jeans and long-sleeved tan shirt with lapels. Camila wore a colorful dress with short sleeves that set off her long, black waves. “Well, you finally came to see us? How is it now family is important to you? Did they love your voice at the Met?”

Daddy frowned at her. “Cam, I told you how Maria wanted Kia to finish her degree. It was her last wish—”

“You were not there when she cried because she missed Kia! I was the one who took care of her because her daughter was too busy to come.” She tossed her head and those beautiful, black waves floated behind her shoulders.

I felt awful about that, but Whitepoint is three hours from Atlanta and I had weekend recitals and performances to help me pay for my rent. By the time Camila entered our lives, Mama’s mind was going from all the chemo and the pain meds. She forgot things I told her. Daddy was off at car shows trying to cover the medical expenses.

Ir put his arm around me and just listened while Camila vented. There wasn’t much room for trying to explain my fella to them.

Daddy defended me, but Camila got mad. “I want them to leave! All she wants is money from you!”

“Now hold on a minute! Kia never asked me for money. You ask me for money—”

“Because my parents are starving! Now let us go with this food and save lives!”

“Do they need more? We can provide all the food they need.” Ir held up his hands.

Camila blinked her dark eyes. “So, you came to help us?”

“Yes! How much food do they need?”

“More than will fit in that limo. Our whole community had a mudslide and people need help!”

Ir and Theapet got into a long discussion in Spanish. Daddy looked as out of the loop as I was! He depends on Camila to translate a lot of his work transactions, even though they’ve been here since 2019.

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Theapet took out a cellphone and made a call in Spanish for their benefit. Ir told me he’s sending a semi to Chilcuautla where people are still cleaning up. Most of ‘em are still living in shelters while they rebuild.

We got in the limo and followed my parents. I shook my head. “She doesn’t believe that semi of food will be there.” Traffic was really bad here, too.

“Oh, we have a construction crew and building supplies, too! Theapet wrote a prog to simulate them. His wife—”

“Whoa, wait! He’s only 15 and he’s married?”

Ir laughed. “His wife is 18. That’s legal age, isn’t it? Ah, love is wonderful!” He got all poetic.

I giggled. “Well, yes, it is! But Zheien can get married at 15?” Then I thought about it harder. If they shared a mindlink because they had one in their future, he’d have to marry her. People talked about how long they knew each other and Zheien princes have very long courtships. Ir and I knew each other telepathically for months before he came to Rainbow.

“Zheien have short courtships. Even Zheien princes can court after six months, then court for six months and marry. But King Theaspaura couldn’t let his son die, now could he?” Ir threw his arm over his eyes!

I pulled it down. “You’re right, Ir. It just seems weird to me they talked about so many marriages today, and the ship’s just been here today, right?”

“Yes, but they all saw their futures. But, you need to think about your stepmother, don’t you? She hurt your feelings. I want to help.” When he kissed my forehead, it touched my heart, and I felt the tears well up.

I looked at the empty seats. “That’s why Theapet’s not here?”

“He’ll come back before your parents get there. Kerjie has relatives, too.”

So many Earthans on the ship! They all probably have situations like mine. I nodded. “Will they all go to Ye~, or will some go to Alb Seer to Rainbow?”

My husband laughed. “There are 25 worlds in Alb, and more coming! All of them will have little Rainbow colonies. But no one will live there. All the worlds except Alb Seer have Earthan Colonies. Earth also has plans for 50 Earthan Colonies that are not in Alb. Anyone who needs healers will go to Alb where life will be easy, as Jujujean was in Rainbow.” That’s what we called it.

“That many! So will the 50 Earthan Colonies be like Luna, Mars, Columbia, Waf and those other places?” I couldn’t keep them all straight once we left the solar system.

“Yes, but we hope the UN will not allow slavery. Diplomats showed them what a disaster that was! Some Elshars want it allowed, but so far, people like the idea of not letting slavers get a foothold.” Ir stretched his long legs out. Plenty of room in this thing.

“Are you tired? If you want to take a nap—”

“I’ll sleep later! Kia, you still aren’t talking about your feelings, Cesarae.”

I sighed. “Old habits are hard to break. After Mama died, I just didn’t. Daddy didn’t want to talk. He’s kind of like me. And, he had Camila to talk to and I was away at school. It’s awkward. I didn’t have to deal with her in Rainbow because they died in a mudslide—in January. Oh, no!” That was 2022. I was working my 3 stupid jobs, and Charlie sued me, and I went bankrupt. I didn’t even know Daddy and Camila were heading up to Chilcuautla, but that was where they died. Nobody could tell me much. It didn’t make the news, I just got a phone call from one of Camila’s relatives who didn’t speak much English. She asked me to let her come stay with me, but I couldn’t get anywhere with our government about it. If it had been Camila, maybe. I felt awful and I wanted to help, ‘cause she was very nice. Her little sister. I always wanted a sister. But I guess she’s my step-aunt. “Ir, we have to do something! They died on the way up here!” I looked out the window and we were on this winding, curvy road up in the mountains. A very narrow road.

Theapet popped back in. “We can protect them—ejis!”

Rocks pelted our cars! Daddy swerved, but his car stopped. A rock as big as his hood rolled off! Was that it?

We all got out. Camila screamed as a rock barely missed her!

Theapet waved, and green portals went off everyplace! We appeared on the ship with about 25 surprised people! They all spoke Spanish, but Theapet held his hands up. Now he appeared orange and his hands, twin-fingered.

Camila clung to Daddy and cried! “What will we do? My family is still up there!”

An older couple and a teen ran to them. They all spoke rapid-fire Spanish and laughed and cried, and all the others hugged ‘em, too! More people ported in with diplomats!

Ir smiled and joined in on the explanation. A lot of them asked him questions instead of Theapet. Well, that bronze skin did look rather Hispanic like a lot of them. A few, like Camila had light skin like me, but one family was very dark like a Black family, but without big noses or basketball-player height.

Diplomats waved and they had little holos of things. Pictures. Kids’ toys. Furniture. Not a whole lot of possessions, but they sure were happy! Nothing was broken or stained.

“Eap has progs that others wrote to track DNA. If the people touched things, they come to the one who touched them the most. They’re very happy, Kia! Many of them wanted to leave but didn’t have money to move.”

Theapet waved and holos of all 25 worlds came up. Diplomats from all over the ship came over to explain different ones, in Spanish.

One big orange one caught my eye. “That can’t be MarKu, can it?”

Ir was explaining, but one of the orange Zheien answered me. “Eae! Queen Adia saw the destruction of our colony, but we moved him and Ea~ here. You remember many sub-colonies in Rainbow, do you? They are all here, and some that were nae there like Hearhh and Lisbaar.” He left to answer more questions, and people went from one holo to another to ask questions about them.

We had a lot of MarKuan friends, because they had the largest colony. Slavers took 70 decillion people from there, in a day. Earth only has 8 billion people.

Since Ir was answering questions about Ye~, I went over there and I heard what he said in English. “Ye~ was very hot, but they terraformed it to be bigger and added an ocean. So anyone who wants to live by the ocean—”

“But, are there hurricanes? I don’t want to live where they are! Or tsunamis.” One lady wiped a tear away.

“No, there are no natural disasters. No thunderstorms, unless people like them, and those who are afraid will not see them. Those who like storms cannot be hurt by them. No hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, lightning, earthquakes, or pollution.”

A man got big eyes. “Is the water safe to drink, or swim in without getting sick? What about algae blooms, or manta rays? Sharks?”

“Animals there are safe. Those that like people will come close, and those that don’t will stay away. Progs keep any from biting or stinging. People can’t hurt them, either.”

“But, I like to hunt! Can I hunt?”

Ir looked uncomfortable. “You will have to ask King Ryonne~ if he will allow that. Holograms of animals can simulate hunting, if you like.”

His wife frowned. “What will we eat, if we cannot hunt? Food is expensive!”

My husband waved up a menu. Like a restaurant menu, but this was as wide as me with both arms out! “All the foods you want are on your menus. These are your terminals.” A wave, and we all had green cubes. Unified terminals! That’s better than the little coins the Alliance gives you because you don’t have to pay to store your stuff! We had those in Rainbow.

“There are no prices.”

“All the worlds of Alb agreed to provide food, education, clothing formers, storage for anything you want to bring with you, and you may work at whatever job you can imagine. Anyone who is unable to work may have a healer to live in their home, and homes are included also.”

I realized someone else was teaching Ir about all this stuff. The Biehshah weren’t trained on how to talk to us or provide terminals. Most of them were going to talk at the UN to officials who already knew about this. Or work on treaties or trading concerns.

Like in Rainbow, we could have a house, but I was happy with our colony, a building with a lot of beds. All of our people were sick and I did a lot of group healings. We slept with our unwell but had private time when we wanted.